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 In 1981, ?Vintage Racing? was just beginning to grow in
North America, as 38 MG vintage racers banded together with the ?MG Vintage
Racers? Newsletter? - just to stay in touch with each other and exchange
information. With time, both vintage racing and the newsletter grew. It became
know as ?MGVR?, and developed into much more than just a newsletter, as it
became the common bond of MG racers. Today they have over 250 active MG racers
in their ranks. So, to celebrate their 25th anniversary in 2006,
they ?threw themselves a race party? in a spectacular way, with an
?All MG race weekend?, at Hallett, Oklahoma the weekend of June 2-4. MG racers
came from all over North America for it - a number of them towing in excess of
1,500 miles! This would be the first ever ?All MG vintage race weekend?
held in North America!
 Three days of sun blessed the event. Being for MGs
only, the race format had something for everyone: practice, scratch races,
handicap races, endurance races, tag team races, - not to mention plenty of
bench racing in the paddock, and elbow raising in the evening. No-one
complained about ?not enough track time?!
74 MGs showed up to compete, ranging from pre-war MGs
up to MGBs. There were classes for Pre-War MGs, Ts, As, Bs, and Midgets.
What a wonderful sight to walk around the paddock and see nothing but MGs
everywhere! Friday was mostly practice except for the ?All Comers One Hour
Enduro?. Any MG could enter this race with two drivers, and cars had a
mandatory pit stop for driver change. Racers began honing in on their racing
lines of this challenging 1.8 mile, 10 turn track, changing in elevation 80
feet. MGTD racer Mike Lewis saw the course like this: ?What a track! Very
challenging, sharp curves, early and late apexes, blind apexes, crowned curves,
off camber curves, and hills everywhere! I found out a T-type needed to be in 2nd
and 3rd for over ? of each lap!?
 Friday evening racers gathered for a western
style barbecue at the track as racers and crew chowed down on lots of BBQ
chicken and beef, complimented with cold brew, and the camaraderie of each
other.
On Saturday the racing began to heat up, with scratch
and handicap races. Sharing the pace car duties were a 1930 MG Works ?Double
12? M Type MG, and a 1984 works MG 6R4 twin turbo rally car (600 hp!). Great
dicing developed on the tarmac, and later racing tales were swapped back in the
paddock after the dust had settled. Racing this weekend wasn?t about winning!
MGA racer Chris Meyers reflected: ?It seems that the common bond between us
goes beyond racing MGs. The exemplary on-track courtesy exhibited should set
the standard for all vintage racers. I had no reservations with racing nose to
tail with anyone in the MGA group. It really is about the people and the MGs.
We truly are a ?Band of Brothers? ? Saturday evening the MG Vintage Racers
celebrated their Silver Anniversary with a dinner at the track. Chris: ?How
often do we have the opportunity to bench race - West Coast to East Coast -
while enjoying a beer smack in the middle of it all!? This was a silver
anniversary celebration to remember!
 Scratch and feature races were on the menu for Sunday,
but during the lunch break everyone gathered for a special presentation. Every
year the MG Vintage Racers present their ?Spirit Award? ? also known as ?The
Big Copper Bucket? - to one MG racer, as voted by their peers, as having the
best ?Vintage Spirit?. They voted Reed Yates the MG honor! He was the event
chairman, plus he raced his MGTF and a 1934 MG N type at the event, as well as
loaning his MGs to a couple of hard luck racers during the weekend!
 The final race was the ?MG Enthusiasts Magazine Tag
Team Race?. For it, 8 teams of three MGs each were formed by combining a mix
of MGs from different classes. Each team was given a lanyard. All the first
cars from each team had a standing start together, and then had to complete 5
laps, pit and pass the lanyard onto the next car on their, and out they went.
Repeat, etc, until each team had completed 30 laps. This activity alone was
exciting to watch! Team number three, consisting of a MGTF, MG Midget, and MGB, brought home the first place honors! Later MGA
& MG J2 racer Lou Marchant recalled: ?During the tag team race I broke the
shift stick on my equally tired MGA! My arm is bruised, my nose is peeling, my
lips are blistered and I am still grinning from ear to ear ? what a fantastic
weekend.
 After racing ended, awards were presented,
including the MG Vintage Racers ?Bill Parish Award?, given in
memory of the spirit of this fun loving MGTC racer of many years, and MG
enthusiast, who passed away from cancer. It is awarded annually to a MG racers
chosen as ?Having the most fun, while not concerned with winning?.
This year it went to MG Midget racer Grover Maurer. At 74 years young, he
believes it is important to have fun racing and encourages new and younger
drivers to enter vintage racing. He usually runs mid-pack and is know for
frequently lending a helping hand to fellow racers.
It was an incident free weekend. MGB racer Jim
Austhof summed up his emotions after the event: ?What did I like about
Hallett? The track, the scenery, the facilities, the camping, the weather, the
racing, the people, the MG Brotherhood! I could go on but it is always a great
time when the MG vintage Racers get together. Thanks for the memories!?
Click on any photo for a larger image.
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